(HBO) – Hoa Binh Lake stretches 70 kilometers and spreads over 17 communes in five districts and city. There are 47 islands in the lake, including 11 limestone islands with a combined the area of 116 hectares, and 36 mountainous islands covering an area of nearly 160 hectares. The lake is described as a drawing, and billed as "Ha Long Bay” of Hoa Binh province. Besides stunning natural landscapes, the lake owns special culture of ethnic minority groups like Muong, Tay, Dao and Thai, posing potential to develop tourism products to lure visitors.
Photo: CoTemple in Hien Luong
commune, Da Bac district is a famous spiritual tourism site of Hoa Binh Lake.
The
province is directing competent authorities and localities to carry out the
overall master plan to develop the Hoa Binh Lake national tourism site approved
by the Prime Minister. Accordingly, standout tourism products should combine
the study and experience of the Muong culture and the lake’s eco-system. Also,
they should work to branch out spiritual tourism products of Thac Bo temple (in
Cao Phong and Da Bac districts), Doi Co Temple (in Hien Luong commune of Da Bac
district), ecological and resort tourist products of Sung island (in Tien Phong
commune of Da Bac) and Ngoi Hoa Bay of Hoa Lake (in Ngoi Hoa commune of Tan Lac
district), and community-based tourism in Ngoi commune (Ngoi Hoa), Tru commune
(Thai Thinh), Ke commune (Hien Luong), Da Bia commune (Tien Phong).
Priority will be given to eco-tourism, resort tourism and homestay development
in the community-based tourism site. The province will build food streets of
ethnic minority groups as well as set up tourism market along Da River./.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.